Household refuse containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and typically are used in conjunction with a bag, generally plastic or paper, to contain refuse. Use of such a bag precludes the refuse container from coming in contact with the refuse and becoming soiled. Such a bag also makes the subsequent disposal of the refuse much easier, quicker, and cleaner. Many household refuse containers are merely metal or plastic "garbage cans" that typically sit on a floor or inside a cupboard, and a paper or plastic bag is placed therein. The bag may be turned over at the top to preclude the bag from falling down inside the garbage can, and generally to keep the bag open.
Some refuse containers typically found in kitchens, are designed to be attached to a cupboard door such that when the cupboard is opened the refuse container is very accessible, and yet is hidden from view when the cupboard door is closed. Within the last twenty years, plastic shopping bags have become extremely popular, or actually quite common place. Typically, plastic shopping bags have a pair of handles at the top of the bag, one on each side, as an integral part of the bag. This has helped to change the style of refuse containers that are commonly used in kitchens today. Because plastic garbage bags can fit tightly around a lip of a refuse container and do not require the same support from the container that a paper bag would require, it is possible to have a refuse container that is merely a skeleton frame instead of having full sides and a full bottom. This is desirable because it allows such a container to be made from a lesser amount of material and therefore made less expensively. Additionally, since these plastic bags typically have a pair of carrying handles, it is possible to suspend the bag by these handles, and use the bag for receiving and retaining refuse.
One common problem associated with the use of plastic bags for receiving and retaining refuse as described herein, is the actual storing of the plastic bags. Typically, the plastic bags are folded and placed into a drawer where they may be kept reasonably neatly. Alternatively, they may be thrown into a cupboard where they may be kept neatly but more often than not will become piled in a disorganized manner. In any case, the bags are not kept with the refuse container and therefore must be searched out and found every time another bag is required for the refuse container. Also, depending on the state of disorganization of the bags whether they be in a drawer or piled in a cupboard, it may be inconvenient or even difficult to pick out one bag from a clump of several bags. It would be highly desirable to keep the bags with the container in a neat and orderly manner, such that they are readily accessible and easy to use.
Another problem with many types of refuse containers that use plastic bags for receiving and retaining refuse is that they support the plastic bag around the top rim with the bag folded over the rim. This keeps the bag open for receiving the refuse. However, any bag used must be approximately of a certain circumference, else it will either not fit onto the container or it will fit too loosely and therefore be prone to slipping off. One way to allow almost any circumference of two handled plastic bag to be used is to suspend the bag completely or at least substantially by the two handles. This may cause the bag to remain in a slighly less that fully opened state, but it would remain open enough such as that refuse can be easily deposited.